The invention relates generally to fuel dispensers, and more particularly, to fuel dispensers and fuel dispensing systems having a network server providing generated documents reflecting stored data to a user. Recently, fuel dispensers have evolved into complicated systems that provide and store large amounts of data pertaining to fuel delivery and customer interaction. For example, dispensers may include a customer interface having a point-of-sale (POS) system for ordering foods from associated restaurants and services such as car washes; card readers for accepting payment for fuel, goods and services at the dispenser; and displays for ordering and commercial advertising. Additionally, modern fuel dispensers can facilitate a service station owners"" maintenance of the dispenser by accumulating inventory information and monitoring overall dispenser status.
As the complexity of these devices increases, the volume and types of data that a fuel dispenser can generate increases, as well as the potential for faults and dispenser failure. As this information increases in volume and type, the number of ways to present the data increases as well. Accordingly, dispenser suppliers, oil companies, and owners need an economical and efficient way to access this data on both new and pre-existing dispensers. Each of these entities often wants access to different information viewable in different formats. Until applicants"" invention, the only way that most of this data could be accessed was to be at the same site as the dispenser, significantly limiting the personnel available to analyze the dispenser""s inventory and maintenance data. Presentation of the data was usually inflexible. Furthermore, maintenance problems generally required several trips to the dispenser: one to diagnose the problem, and others to fix the problem. Thus, there is a need for a dispenser configured to efficiently gather inventory status and maintenance information and provide this data to different entities in different locations in a variety of user configurable formats.
Applicants fulfill this need by providing a fuel dispenser system having a plurality of dispensers, each dispenser having a server. Each dispenser typically has two fueling positions, each with a graphical user interface (GUI) through which a customer interacts, as well as a control system and associated hardware and software to control and monitor varied aspects of the fuel dispenser system. The server operates in conjunction with existing hardware and software in the fuel dispenser system to provide a flexible and backwards compatible system that allows access to the control system, GUI, and related data through clients at nearly any remote location.
Each fuel dispensing system can also connect to a variety of networks in a variety of ways. The fuel dispensing system typically connects to a station server, which in turn may connect to an internal network, such as a corporate intranet, and to an external network, such as the internet. The external network may only connect to the internal network and rely on the internal network""s connection with the station server to access the fuel dispensing system. The fuel dispensing system may also directly connect to an external network, bypassing the internal network and the station server. Providing such flexible network connectivity allows data access routes unavailable without applicant""s invention.
The invention provides a fuel dispensing system capable of generating documents reflecting fuel dispenser data and serving these documents to a remote client, typically a hypertext markup language (HTML) compliant browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer, via the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). HTTP is a known application protocol that provides users access to files, which can be in different formats such as text, graphics, images, sound and video, using a standard page description language known as hypertext mark-up language (HTML). HTML provides basic document formatting and allows the developer to specify links to other servers and files therein. Use of an HTML compliant client browser involves specification of a link via a uniform resource locator (URL). Upon such specification, the client makes a request to the server identified in the link and receives a web page, basically, a document formatted according to HTML, in return. HTML provides exceptional freedom in creating graphics/text/graphic images and associated audio between servers and clients. HTTP and HTML allow complex services to be accessed by clients having a minimum amount of hardware sophistication. Furthermore, since HTTP and HTML are standard, portable systems, the client can be one of many browsers running on almost any platform.
Typically, a user will access the fuel dispenser""s server with a browser running on a client terminal connected to the station server, the internal network, or an external network. The browser will request a page from the server, and the server will retrieve the desired page and send it as an HTML formatted document back to the browser for the user to view. Therefore, applicant""s invention allows a user to configure and analyze the dispensing system from almost any location that has a telephone line, no longer requiring an initial hands-on look at the system. With the invention, a user could eliminate travel time as well as equipment costs by being able to view system data from wherever they are without having to travel to the dispenser""s actual location. Before applicant""s invention, multiple trips were sometimes necessary and unneeded equipment had to be transported in order to troubleshoot what can be done remotely with applicant""s invention.
The invention also provides for automatically generating documents which reflects the current, up to date status of the fuel dispenser, including control system, server, and GUI related data. In a preferred embodiment, the server is adapted to automatically generate the documents, either dynamically or on a scheduled basis. The server receives either a dynamic client request or a scheduled request and subsequently creates the requested document. The server can receive this request from a plurality of devices, including the station server, station controller, an internal or external network terminal client, the fuel dispenser""s control system, or the server itself.
Alternatively, the invention could include a server extension to facilitate communications between the server and a fuel dispenser""s control system. In this embodiment of the invention, the server extension would receive the control signal or request and then create the page on either a dynamic or scheduled basis. The server extension would also be capable of receiving the requests from a plurality of devices, including the station server, a station controller, an internal or external network terminal client, the fuel dispenser""s control system, the server, or the server extension itself. In this embodiment of the invention, the server extension would create the page and the server would transmit the document to the browser on the remote client.
The invention""s flexibility and upgradeability lies in the fact that a server and server extension may be integrated or separate, not only with respect to each other, but also with respect to a fuel dispenser""s control system. Furthermore, the server and server extension may be implemented as software or hardware solutions. Providing such a flexible means of implementing the invention makes the invention a simple retrofit to a large variety of in-use dispenser systems, as well as simplifying future installations.
The invention is preferably implemented in a dispenser having a processor, operating system, HTTP-compliant server, server extension and GUI running an HTTP-compliant browser. The dispenser""s control system and dispenser electronics also generate data, which in turn will be stored in the control system""s memory.
The server""s communications interface will be used to provide remote connectivity to the dispenser, preferably via the TCP/IP protocol. Therefore, a user could remotely troubleshoot a fuel dispenser at any location with a terminal client, browser, and World Wide Web (WWW) access. Furthermore, a refueling customer can provide information to generate a page as well, providing instantaneous communication with a remote user. By using a standard protocol, and a standard, portable document format such as HTML, the invention can easily be assimilated into virtually any Information Systems (IS) infrastructure without requiring the purchase of new hardware on the client side, as well as allowing the use of an already implemented network infrastructure on the server and network side. In short, applicant""s invention allows the fullest use of existing hardware and software while keeping costs to a minimum. By providing a flexible system, both for implementation and access, the invention insures that application of the invention will not be so expensive as to outweigh the benefits.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following description of the preferred embodiments when considered with the drawings.